1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for suspending a cord or wire from a gutter lip or other near-vertical support. More specifically, the invention relates to a hook for suspending Christmas lights on a wire from the gutter lip while standing on the ground.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A large number of hooks and hangers for cords, wires, and especially Christmas lights have been proposed in the past. Many of these hooks are removable. Others are utilized for hanging Christmas lights that contemplate a permanent addition of part or all of the device to the house itself. Examples of these permanent or semi-permanent installations are: Trueson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,310, Kvarda, U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,090, Van Ess, U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,014, Campbell, U.S. Pat. No. 3,275,818, and Cuva, U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,687, which all disclose various methods for mounting Christmas lights on a wire to a house. Each of the above patents requires some permanent or semi-permanent modification of the house itself, by affixing all or a portion of the device to the house. The use of these devices is time consuming and laborious, and removal is equally complicated.
Removable hooks have several important aspects, primarily ease of use and removal, combined with stability during attachment to the gutter. The use of curved or shaped hooks, both for Christmas lights and other cord fastening, is well known. A number of devices, exemplified by Bailey, U.S. Design Pat. No. 34,263, Worley, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 1,866,691, Parton, U.S. Design Pat. No. 272,887, and Kinghorn, U.S. Pat. No. 3,011,049, are generally useful for this purpose. None of the devices, however, are particularly adaptable for use on a gutter, nor can they be applied to the gutter while the user is standing on the ground.
Additionally, a number of the hook or clamp devices which are designed for use with Christmas lights are not capable of orienting themselves on a gutter, or if adapted for a gutter, cannot be utilized on a wide variety of curved surfaces. These devices are exemplified by Stock, U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,229, Clemence, U.S. Pat. No. 2,018,836, Bixby, U.S. Design Pat. No. 143,792, and Haase, U.S. Design Pat. No. 99,713.
The primary problem with mounting a clamp or hook on a gutter is the peculiar shape of most gutter lips. As illustrated in FIG. 3 of Stock, U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,229 and FIG. 4 herein, the trough of the gutter extends in a curved manner upwardly, with a boxed shaped lip having a right angle at the termination point. It is the attachment of the hook or clamp around this boxed end which has prevented prior hooks from being mounted with the user being on the ground. Prior to this invention, the user had to manually clip a hook around the boxed end, which usually entailed some clamping or spreading of the device. This is particularly illustrated by Stock, U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,229. The boxed termination of the gutter lip also prevents the use of hooks and clamps not intended for use on a gutter from being so utilized. The restraining portion of the hook must have a carefully shaped space to allow for this particular gutter lip. This is important both in the actual mounting of the device and the retention of the device on the gutter while in use. The clips of Kinghorn, U.S. Pat. No. 3,011,049; Bailey, U.S. Design Pat. No. 34,263; Clemence, U.S. Pat. No. 2,018,836 and Worley, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 1,866,691 all fail in this particular respect.